1. Title, director and release year?
“Darwin’s Nightmare”
Hubert Sauper
2004
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
This movie shows the problems in Tanzania with the fishing industry. The people fish and process the fish from their own lands for companies and then Europeans fly in bringing in weapons and taking out the fish. The people of Tanzania never see the money that is coming in from Europe for the fish and never get the fish for themselves or families. This creates poverty and famine, as well as dangerous conditions in this business.
3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
This film shows the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger. Greedy people take advantage of poorer people and exploit their resources. The fish are being over-fished as well as creating environmental problems, like introducing a foreign fish into an environment. The people, especially children, are hopeless in this cycle, being stuck with no food and no profit from their land’s resources.
4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? · Scenes of poverty o Showed the extreme poverty that the fishing industry is creating for these people. They were helpless and wanted better for themselves and their people but were in such terrible and unfair conditions § Women selling themselves to the European pilots that stay the night in Tanzania, they sell themselves for $10 a night § The young boys’ stories · Sleeping on the streets, their parents have died or are fisherman and are always gone · Fighting over a bowl of rice § Story of the fisherman ‘diving’ and losing his leg to a crocodile, there was no doctor for him to go to so he died from his injury · The crashed planes in the fields and water because they were overloaded o Showed the level of greed that the Europeans have over this community, they want to pack the planes as much as they possibly can, risking the safety of the pilots and people as well as losing the plane and that cargo. · 210 fish species have vanished and the perch fish devours its young o Showed that there is little to no hope in the lake turning around and being a source of food for the community · The factory manager discussing his business o Exporting 500 tons of fish per day, but said that he doesn’t have any fish to spare for the hungry children on the streets
5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? · The lack of facts and information, it seemed like most of the movie I was making inferences and guessing about the source of problems instead of knowing · The European pilots talking about the war and weapons o I didn’t feel that it related to the fishing industry, and I didn’t want to hear these things from the pilots
6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.? · The solution to the problem, the movie offered no solution. o Find a way to break the cycle, and also how to get these people a voice so that they can be heard since they are the ones most affected by this vicious § Idea brought up in class: Food labels that could tell consumers how far their fish/food are coming from, make them more aware of the environmental problems as well as population issues relating to this
7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems? · This film addresses anyone that is unaware of this problem, which should be many people since this focuses on a small country and a specific problem · This should make viewers think more about where their food is coming from and what it is doing to the community it is coming from, however I don’t believe people will act because of this movie since no solution or action was presented in the movie
8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film? · There were none, as previously mentioned
9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value? · More information on the fish and how the foreign fish was introduced into the lake, and what they are doing to change it · More about the environment conference that was only shown briefly · What could be done for the environment and people to repair the community
“Darwin’s Nightmare”
Hubert Sauper
2004
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
This movie shows the problems in Tanzania with the fishing industry. The people fish and process the fish from their own lands for companies and then Europeans fly in bringing in weapons and taking out the fish. The people of Tanzania never see the money that is coming in from Europe for the fish and never get the fish for themselves or families. This creates poverty and famine, as well as dangerous conditions in this business.
3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
This film shows the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger. Greedy people take advantage of poorer people and exploit their resources. The fish are being over-fished as well as creating environmental problems, like introducing a foreign fish into an environment. The people, especially children, are hopeless in this cycle, being stuck with no food and no profit from their land’s resources.
4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
· Scenes of poverty
o Showed the extreme poverty that the fishing industry is creating for these people. They were helpless and wanted better for themselves and their people but were in such terrible and unfair conditions
§ Women selling themselves to the European pilots that stay the night in Tanzania, they sell themselves for $10 a night
§ The young boys’ stories
· Sleeping on the streets, their parents have died or are fisherman and are always gone
· Fighting over a bowl of rice
§ Story of the fisherman ‘diving’ and losing his leg to a crocodile, there was no doctor for him to go to so he died from his injury
· The crashed planes in the fields and water because they were overloaded
o Showed the level of greed that the Europeans have over this community, they want to pack the planes as much as they possibly can, risking the safety of the pilots and people as well as losing the plane and that cargo.
· 210 fish species have vanished and the perch fish devours its young
o Showed that there is little to no hope in the lake turning around and being a source of food for the community
· The factory manager discussing his business
o Exporting 500 tons of fish per day, but said that he doesn’t have any fish to spare for the hungry children on the streets
5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?
· The lack of facts and information, it seemed like most of the movie I was making inferences and guessing about the source of problems instead of knowing
· The European pilots talking about the war and weapons
o I didn’t feel that it related to the fishing industry, and I didn’t want to hear these things from the pilots
6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.?
· The solution to the problem, the movie offered no solution.
o Find a way to break the cycle, and also how to get these people a voice so that they can be heard since they are the ones most affected by this vicious
§ Idea brought up in class: Food labels that could tell consumers how far their fish/food are coming from, make them more aware of the environmental problems as well as population issues relating to this
7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems?
· This film addresses anyone that is unaware of this problem, which should be many people since this focuses on a small country and a specific problem
· This should make viewers think more about where their food is coming from and what it is doing to the community it is coming from, however I don’t believe people will act because of this movie since no solution or action was presented in the movie
8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film?
· There were none, as previously mentioned
9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
· More information on the fish and how the foreign fish was introduced into the lake, and what they are doing to change it
· More about the environment conference that was only shown briefly
· What could be done for the environment and people to repair the community